After the long stretch of dismal rain and gray skies, Elizabethtown College students are ready for more pleasant fall weather. Leaves are changing into vivid reds and oranges, and the air is getting chillier with each passing day. As the campus is on the cusp of entering spooky season, there are so many fun activities to enjoy.
Haunted houses, horror movies and ghost stories are some student favorites if wanting to go the more spooky, scary route of fall. On the other hand, those who get easily spooked might rather enjoy a cozy fall season filled with pumpkin spice, baking, pumpkin patches and movie nights.
“I would choose the cozy fall aesthetic because I love to watch the leaves fall and feel the air get a little bit cooler,” sophomore Marissa Puleo, a fellow fall-loving student at Etown, said. Puleo also mentioned her love for warm coffee, Gilmore Girls marathons and football.
One student in particular has absolutely no interest in spooky fall, noting that it does not even compare to cozy fall.
“I would pick cozy fall, all the way. I would much rather be cozy than scared and stressed. Cozy fall has good smells, good looks, good feels,” sophomore James Witmer said.“Spooky fall stresses me out.”
Other students, including sophomore Riley Hennelly, would much prefer a scary autumn. She noted her favorite haunted house, Field of Screams, where she and her friends go every year for the haunted hayride. A spooky fall connoisseur, Hennelly also enjoys watching scary movies over cozy fall romantic comedies.
While there is no doubt that cozy fall has its advantages, Puleo felt that the spooky part of fall is an underlying aspect of what makes fall, fall. Without that, cozy fall could not exist. Junior Tainan Nunes agrees with this view, mentioning that trying to compare cozy and spooky fall is “like comparing apples to lettuce.”
Nunes took a more neutral opinion on the debate.
“Both aesthetics are completely different and you can enjoy both. They are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “There’s not really anything I don’t like about fall, except leaves getting into my car.”
In the end, I have no choice but to pick the cozy fall aesthetic. I love taking long walks in the chilly weather and enjoying the changing colors of the trees as cinnamon and pumpkin smells fill the air. I would like nothing better than to sit down with a good book, a warm blanket and a candle, with the crisp air of cozy fall lingering just outside.
